The major in politics offers students the opportunity to examine politics from a variety of theoretical, cultural, and methodological perspectives. By raising fundamental questions about politics, courses encourage students to reflect carefully about the behaviors, institutions, ideologies, and dynamics of political life. Students are asked to reexamine their commonsense assumptions regarding politics, and to learn to think and write critically about political questions. As the study of politics is inherently multicultural and multidisciplinary, courses stress the importance of the diversity of the political experience, including a global range of cultural issues that address the roles of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender in political life. More information on the politics department is available on the website (bates.edu/politics).

Major Requirements. Students majoring in politics must complete eleven courses including:

1) Five courses in a politics major concentration (see "Politics Major Concentrations" below), which include:

a) no more than one 100-level course;
b) at least one 300-level seminar, and;
c) senior thesis (457 or 458) on a topic related to the politics major concentration.

2) Three courses in politics not listed among the courses in the politics major concentration. These courses must be taken from at least two different concentrations.

3) s49 (Political Inquiry), which must be taken in the sophomore or junior year and is a prerequisite for the senior thesis (457 or 458).

4) Two other courses in any politics major concentration.

All of the above requirements are subject to the following stipulations:

Students may count no more than two 100-level courses total toward the major.

Students may count no more than two Short Term courses, including s49, toward the major.

A first-year seminar may count toward the politics major if and only if it is taught by a member of the politics faculty.

Students may not count internships or transferred courses toward the major concentration.

Subject to the approval of the department chair, students may receive credit for up to two relevant off-campus courses. To receive approval, students must provide evidence of the content of the course and of the work completed. Non-Bates courses may count toward requirements (2) or (4) above. Requirements (1) and (3) must be completed with Bates courses.

Subject to the approval of the department chair, transfer students may receive credit for up to four courses toward the major taken prior to their arrival at Bates, and must take at least seven courses in the major on the Bates campus. The seven courses include s49, a 300-level seminar in the concentration, and senior thesis (457 or 458).

Politics Major Concentrations. Students declaring a politics major must declare a concentration within the major in one of the five approved major concentrations, listed below (see also "Major Requirements" above). The courses that fulfill each major concentration can be found on the department website. In addition, the major concentrations fulfilled by a course appear in parentheses at the end of the course catalog description. The major concentrations are:

Institutional Politics (IP): Formal organizations with written rules such as political and electoral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and international organizations.

Identities and Interests (IDIN): Politics, power relations, and movements embedded in and constructed through issues such as ethnicity, nationality, gender, race, sexuality, religion, kinship, class, and political affiliation.

Political Economy (PLEC): Interactions of political and economic institutions and organizations, among states, within states, and across ethnic or national boundaries.

Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies (PLL): Close study of texts in political philosophy and contemporary theory, literature and other cultural productions, and legal cases and interpretations.

Declaring a Major in Politics. To declare a major in politics, the student must complete both the college's process on Garnet Gateway and the department's major declaration form, which is available on the politics department website. The student must meet first with the department chair, who assigns the major advisor, and then with the major advisor to discuss the contents of the politics declaration form.

A new form must be completed and approved by the department chair and major advisor if the student's politics major concentration changes.

Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail grading may be elected for one course applied toward the major. This course must be below the 300 level and may not be s49.

Courses

INDC 100. African Perspectives on Justice, Human Rights, and Renewal.

This team-taught course introduces students to some of the experiences, cultural beliefs, values, and voices shaping contemporary Africa. Students focus on the impact of climatic, cultural, and geopolitical diversity; the politics of ethnicity, religion, age, race, and gender and their influence on daily life; and the forces behind contemporary policy and practice in Africa. The course forges students' critical capacity to resist simplistic popular understandings of what is taking place on the continent and works to refocus their attention on distinctively "African perspectives." Students design a research project to augment their knowledge about a specific issue within a particular region. The course is primarily for first- and second-year students with little critical knowledge of Africa and serves as the introduction to the General Education concentration Considering Africa (C022). Cross-listed in anthropology, French and Francophone studies, history, and politics. Enrollment limited to 39. (Africa.) (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) Normally offered every year. A. Dauge-Roth, E. Eames, L. Hill, P. Otim.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 115. American Political Institutions and Processes.

An introductory description and analysis of American governmental and political institutions and processes, with particular focus upon the conditions and strategies for political decision making. Enrollment limited to 39. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) Normally offered every year. S. Engel, J. Baughman.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 121. Moral Questions and Political Choice.

The world is growing smaller, and life in a global context involves making decisions about controversial political questions. On what basis do we make these decisions? What is the right way to think about questions of poverty, violence, women's roles, or human rights, and how do we know? This course explores the moral questions embedded in discussions of political change. Students read a diverse range of theoretical and historical materials to think about questions of human nature, proper human interactions, justice, freedom, responsibility, and potentiality. Students also write short research papers and personal essays. The objective is to better understand the moral and political questions involved in citizenship in a global world. Enrollment limited to 39. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) A. MacLeod.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 122. Government and Politics in Global Perspective.

In this course, students consider the principal theories and methods for studying comparative politics. What is the State and how did it come about? What characterizes a democratic regime and how is it different from a non-democratic regime? How and why do some regimes become authoritarian and why do some regimes undergo successful democratic transition? What have been the primary approaches to economic development and its relationship to political development? How do countries approach redistributive economic policy? What is the role of identity in global politics? How and why do people mobilize and when does mobilization result in revolution or political violence? Enrollment limited to 40. (Governance and Conflict.) (Institutional Politics.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 125. States and Markets.

Given the current debate over globalization, questions about the relationship between states and markets—domestic and global—have become increasingly contested. With that in mind, this course examines how the relationship between states and markets has changed over the past fifty years, exploring such questions as: What is a state? What is a market? How do markets constrain the state? To what extent can the state rein in market forces? How has the relationship between states and markets changed over time? Do states differ in their ability to influence markets? Enrollment limited to 39. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) Normally offered every year. Á. Ásgeirsdóttir.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 155. Gender, Power, and Political Systems.

This course scrutinizes several sites where power is produced—constitutions, international politics, political theory, voting, social movements, and globalization— in order to assess the impact of gender on the status, behavior, and authority of different political actors. Recognizing how race, class, sexuality, and citizen status matter, students consider why women are under-represented in nearly all governments and how women make more of a difference in national and global politics than the images of "men in suits" imply. Students examine questions, concepts, and theories which acknowledge women's political agency and help access their influence across a range—ancient to emerging—of political systems. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 155. Enrollment limited to 39. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 160. Politics of the Modern Middle East.

This course offers students an introduction to the politics of the Middle East and North Africa. The first section concentrates on the history of the Muslim world and considers a number of issues, including the rise of Islam, empires, colonialism, and the formation of modern states in the twentieth century. The second section is organized more conceptually: students investigate different regime types, political ideologies, authoritarianism, political economy, and the politics of gender in various Muslim countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Iran, Turkey, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. Students also discuss prospects for democracy and liberalization in different Muslim countries. Enrollment limited to 39. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) S. Aslan.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 171. International Politics.

This course explores some of the many structures and processes that organize world politics, including the system of sovereign states, the global capitalist economy, and the varied meanings assigned to "nation" and "gender." To examine how these structures reinforce, intrude upon, and sometimes subvert each other, this course focuses on specific case studies such as international efforts to regulate climate change, nuclear proliferation, international trade, and intellectual property rights. Enrollment limited to 39. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) Normally offered every year. W. d'Ambruoso, J. Richter.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 191. Western Political Theory.

The course examines the relation of Western political thought to current struggles against various forms of oppression. When white Western male theorists use the language of truth and justice, law and order, or rights and liberty, do they speak for everyone? Or do their writings reinforce asymmetries of economic and social power? Students consider various responses to such questions while reading and discussing selections from Plato, Locke, Wollstonecraft, and Marx. Enrollment limited to 39. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) Normally offered every year. W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 200. Democracy and Democratization.

In this course, students consider democracy and democratization in a comparative and historical perspective. The course looks at the three or four waves of democratization over the last two hundred years, focusing on why these waves occurred and how each is distinctive. Students then turn to disaggregating the concept of democracy and tracing the historical development of its specific elements, including elections, secret ballots, accountability and checks and balances, and political and civil rights. They also examine conditions that foster or impede democracy, such as the nature of civil society and political culture, and economic development and nationalism. At the end of the course, they look at the prospects for democracy around the world. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 202. Garbage and the Politics of Disposition.

This course studies the power and inclination to throw some things away while keeping others. Garbage can include personal refuse, useless information, nonsense arguments, or forms of life tagged inferior, inedible, in the way, or past their prime. But who designates garbage? Which forces patrol the lines between value and waste? How might people and governments rethink their relationships with the things they toss out? Engaging the work of Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida, and their critics, students consider the imbricated relations between public management of waste and the predispositions and habits associated with these policies. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 205. State-Society Relations in the Modern Middle East.

Like no other political entity in history, the modern state seeks to transform society into an image of its own making and to harness its citizens' productive power for its own benefit. States in the Middle East, like those all over the world, have attempted this feat with varying degrees of success and failure. This course examines state efforts to dominate and shape society in the Middle East and the myriad ways that social groups have resisted, assisted, and otherwise modified state rule. Recommended background: PLTC 160. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) S. Aslan, C. Abdo-Katsipis.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 209. Contemporary United States–Latin American Relations.

This course examines and analyzes contemporary U.S.–Latin American political, economic, military, and security relations. Students first explore theories of international relations and foreign policy. They then draw on these theories to better understand why, throughout the twentieth century, the United States intervened so frequently and forcefully in Latin American countries and whether the interventions have served U.S. interests or helped Latin American nations. Students analyze current issues affecting international relations in the continent, including the politics of natural resources, regional trade agreements, drug traffic, international migration, and the emergence of a new left. Recommended background: PLTC 171. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) Staff.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 211. American Parties and Elections.

The origins, structures, activities, and functions of parties in the American political system. Students analyze elections, voter behavior, campaign strategy and finance, and the role of parties in the operation of government. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) J. Baughman.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 214. Constitutional Law III: Voice and Liberties.

In this course students analyze judicial interpretations of the freedoms classically considered to be civil liberties, including First Amendment jurisprudence, voting rights, and the rights of the accused. Topics include First Amendment speech issues (e.g., libel, slander, national security, fighting words, obscenity and pornography, campus speech, and hate speech or hate crime), First Amendment religion issues (exercise and establishment clauses, conflicts between religious liberties and civil rights claims), voting rights, and civil and criminal procedures as outlined in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth amendments. Criminal procedures include due process, search and seizure (particularly in relationship to new technologies), trial guarantees, and cruel and unusual punishment, including the death penalty. Recommended background: PLTC 115 or 216. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) S. Engel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 215. Political Participation in the United States.

Citizen participation lies at the heart of democratic decision making, but its importance extends well beyond formal tools like voting. This course explores the many ways in which Americans participate in politics and voice demands on the government, both formally and informally, from letters to the president to demonstrations in the streets. Students also look at who uses these tools, including the ways in which class, race, and gender circumscribe political influence. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) J. Baughman.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 216. Constitutional Law I: Balance of Powers.

This course investigates the development of constitutional law in the United States, with focus on governmental structure — popular sovereignty, separation of powers, and federalism — and some basic and contested techniques of constitutional interpretation. Topics include the respective and overlapping powers of the legislative branch, the presidency, and the judiciary; the development of judicial review; the relationship among the three federal branches; the balance of powers between the federal government and the governments of the several states; and government regulation of citizens' actions in the workplace. Students read, discuss, and critically analyze legal rulings and evaluate scholarly commentary. Prerequisite(s): PLTC 115. Enrollment limited to 29. (Institutional Politics.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) S. Engel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 218. Statistics for Political Analysis.

In this course, students learn how political scientists use statistics. Students use publicly available data to summarize and graph descriptive statistics, make controlled comparisons, use statistical tests and measures of association to make inferences, and conduct linear regressions. The course develops practical skills, including the ability to use the computing program R. Students also explore the limitations of statistics as a research methodology as well as questions of research ethics. Politics majors may not count the course toward their major concentration; however, regardless of their concentration, students may count the course as one of the required courses outside of their major concentration. Prerequisite(s): one 100-level course in politics. Enrollment limited to 29. [Q] Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 219. Social Movements in Latin America.

Social movements have often played key roles in Latin American politics. In the 1980s, grassroots movements against dictatorships raised hopes that poor and marginalized groups might spur processes of democratization and development. In the new democratic regimes, however, significant social and economic inequalities persist, marking political and social space in acute ways. This course explores the struggle by poor and marginalized groups for space, both theoretically and literally, through examination of rural landless movements, urban squatter movements, LGBT movements, and women's movements in the region. Not open to students who have received credit for PLTC 219. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) J. Longaker.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 220. Gender, War, and Peace.

This course uses gender as an analytical tool to examine the history of war and peace. How do war and militarization construct masculinities and femininities? What types of roles have women played in the making of war and in the making of peace? How has gender socialization influenced people's analysis of and participation in war and in peace activism? What are the gender politics of the politics of war and of peacemaking? How is gender deployed in current war zones and in current movements for peace? Recommended background: GSS 100. Not open to students who have received credit for GS/PT s12, or PT/WS 220 or s12. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) M. Plastas.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 222. International Political Economy.

This course offers an introduction to the theories and debates regarding the politics of trade, multinational corporations, money and finance, and regional integration of developed and developing countries. Students are encouraged to explore the connections between international politics and economics both historically and in the contemporary era of "globalization." Specific topics addressed include the power of transnational corporations, the emergence and significance of the World Trade Organization and the European Union and the role of the International Monetary Fund in the development world. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) Á. Ásgeirsdóttir.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 224. Politics of International Trade.

International trade is a contentious political issue within developed as well as developing nations. This course explores the political impact of international trade on governments and societies. Students discuss the economic and political aspects of free trade as well as the changes in the politics of international trade over the past two centuries. Specific topics covered include trade protection, regional and global trade agreements, trade in agricultural goods, international trade and human rights, intellectual property rights, and the impact of trade on the environment. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) Á. Ásgeirsdóttir.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 225. International Security.

War and conflict are persistent elements in international politics. There are many forms of international conflict, including global wars, local wars, terrorism, and insurgencies. This course begins by looking at the causes of war and conflict, examines forms of conflict, and ends with a look at war's consequences. It provides some historical background, but concentrates on explaining issues in contemporary international politics. Recommended background: PLTC 171. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Institutional Politics.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 230. The U.S. Congress.

This course explores the U.S. Congress and legislative politics. Students examine the practice and significance of congressional elections and the organization and behavior of congressional institutions, including their historical development, with a special emphasis on the connection between electoral behavior and lawmaking. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) J. Baughman.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 232. The Politics of Post-Communism.

The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and Asia provide a unique opportunity to examine why things change and why things stay the same. This course examines how Russia and at least one other post-communist country have dealt with the three fundamental challenges that all such countries had to face: the transformation of political institutions; the transformation of economic institutions; and the redefinition of national identity. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) J. Richter.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 234. Public Policy and the U.S. Welfare System.

This course offers an introduction to how public policy is crafted and implemented in the American context. Students examine how interests are balanced in the design of policy, how institutions affect the implementation of policy, and how policy is evaluated. The second half of the course uses the American welfare state as a case study, starting with the Great Society and ending with the Welfare Reform of 1996 to illustrate the reciprocal nature between policy and public opinion and to explore the paradox between popular support for specific government services and opposition to general government programs. Recommended background: PLTC 115. Enrollment limited to 29. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 236. The Global Politics of Climate Change.

Few issues are likely to affect the lives of young people across the globe as much as climate change. Few issues engage more diverse social actors and present such complexities in devising a response. This course uses climate change as an extended case study to examine theories of international cooperation around climate change and examine the structures, actors, and processes of governance on a global scale. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) J. Richter.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

INDC 238. Queer Power: Political Sociology of U.S. Sexuality Movements.

This course introduces students to social movement theory and interest group politics in the United States via the case study of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) politics from the immediate post-World War II period to the present, and examines the relationship of sexuality to the racial and gender dynamics of American identity-based social movements. The course traces the development of research methodologies to study collective action from early rational choice models to resource mobilization theory to new social movement models and political opportunity and process models. How the LGBTQ movements drew upon, expanded, and challenged foundations established by both African American civil rights and feminism is also explored. A range of source materials includes political science, sociology, and history monographs and articles, primary source documents, literature, and film. Cross-listed in gender and sexuality studies, politics, and sociology. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) S. Engel.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 239. The Politics of Space and Place.

We dwell in places, travel to and from places, peer at snapshots of real locales or imagine fantastical places. Yet what is "place"? If place is the intersection of undifferentiated space with human efforts to create meaning and act, how does place help us understand wars, protest, identity, gender, and art or imaginative thinking? This course explores the evolving interdisciplinary discussions of space, place, and power. Students work with case studies, short stories, maps, and landscape art. How do humans perceive, experience, make, and remake place? How can the politics of place create new ideas and practices of responsibility in a globalized world? Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) A. MacLeod.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 243. Politics and Literature.

This course explores the links between politics and literature, focusing on the unique powers of fiction for understanding and expressing politics. Students read and discuss novels, short stories, and plays drawn from diverse historical and cultural settings, including the Middle East and China. Topics include the construction of authority; women and politics; war, violence, and narratives; change of regime and political power; the construction of alternative realities; private and political virtue; and the relationship between stories and democratic and authoritarian politics. Students also write short stories of their own. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) A. MacLeod.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 245. Democratizing States and Gender Politics.

How do gender politics shape democracy? Does political change create opportunities for increasing women's representation in politics, leadership, and access to decision making? Under what circumstances do women oppose authoritarian regimes? How does gender affect the development of democractic governance? This course uses a comparative approach to investigate cases of regime change and democratization in Latin America, Eastern and Central Europe, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa in order to understand whether and how political change creates possibilities for democratizing gender relations and politics. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 245. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 247. Transition and Transformation in Southern Africa.

This course probes historical legacies and contemporary dynamics of social organization and political economy to identify critical features of governance and political life. How do these structures and processes affect political change, state capacity, and democratization in the region? What are the prospects for establishing states' democratic accountability and building enduring democratic practices between states and citizens? This course examines factors underlying state power and governance, semi-authoritarian impulses, social democratic forces, and democratization processes. While scrutiny of South Africa's oscillations is a focus of the course, students consider cases of political rule and citizen engagement in several of the region's hybrid, developmental, and transforming states. Recommended background: PLTC 122, 155, 171, or 290. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 248. The Arctic: Politics, Economics, Peoples.

Overlapping political and ecological boundaries, valuable resources, and indigenous politics combine to make the Arctic region an important area in international affairs. The impact of global climate change is creating new conflicts while exacerbating old ones. This course explores the linkages among the areas bordering the Arctic while discussing the political economy of resource use such as fisheries, oil drilling, mining, reindeer herding, whaling, sealing, and polar bears. Students explore the actors in the area — Canada, Greenland, Norway, Alaska, Russia, and their respective indigenous populations — and study efforts to increase international cooperation in the area. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) Á. Ásgeirsdóttir.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 249. Politics of Latin America.

This course examines the reasons for Latin America's mixed record with democracy. Students explore challenges facing the region such as weak rule of law, slow and uneven economic development, weak political parties and legislatures, and the difficulty of overcoming institutional legacies such as military rule. Students also examine promising political changes in the region such as increased support for democracy among its people and greater representation for indigenous people and women. Countries studied include Guatemala, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil. Recommended background: PLTC 122. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Political Economy.) J. Longaker.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 254. Gender Matters: U.S. Women and Politics.

What difference has women's visible entry into U.S. politics over the last forty years made in the everyday lives of most women? Just as idealized notions of gender have molded politics since America's founding, politics shapes women's and men's lives as citizens, workers, and parents. How does gender make a difference when leaders are selected, policy agendas are set, and resources are allocated? How do women's participation and influence—as decisive voters, social movement activists, persuasive legislators, and presidential candidates—affect the conduct of politics or our thinking about policy priorities? This course recognizes U.S. women—variously positioned in racial, class, sexual, and cultural communities—as political subjects and reviews concepts, frameworks, and theories used to make sense of both changes and continuity in women's status, participation, and influence on public life and decision making. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 254. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 260. Nationalism and Nation Building.

This course provides an overview of major theories on nationalism and nation building. It introduces different forms of nationalism and discusses the relationship between the emergence of modern states and the idea of national identity. Students explore how nationalism relates to state building, citizenship, different regime types, economic change, gender, and religion. Students analyze different theoretical approaches and concepts through empirical case studies drawn from the experiences of national identity formation in countries such as France, Germany, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and India. Recommended background: PLTC 122 or 160. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) S. Aslan, C. Abdo-Katsipis.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

ES/PT 272. Oikos: Rethinking Economy and Ecology.

Economy and ecology share the same Greek root: oikos, or "home." Both name relationships that are crucial to the sustenance of life, yet these two domains often appear to be locked in mortal combat. Why is the oikos of modern life torn asunder? What is this split and how did it arise? Is reconciliation possible? If so, what might it entail? This course brings critical tools from political theory and science studies to bear on these questions, exploring a variety of attempts to rethink the relation between economy and ecology and to reconfigure the very nature of the categories themselves. Recommended background: one course in anthropology, economics, environmental studies, politics, or sociology. Not open to students who have received credit for ENVR 272. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) E. Miller.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 282. Constitutional Law II: Rights and Identities.

This course introduces students to constitutional interpretation and development in civil rights and race equality jurisprudence, gender equality jurisprudence, sexual orientation law, and matters related to privacy and autonomy (particularly sexual autonomy involving contraception and abortion access). Expanding, contracting, or otherwise altering the meaning of a right involves a range of actors in a variety of venues, not only courts. Therefore, students consider rights from a "law and society" perspective, which focuses on analyzing judicial rulings as well as evaluating the social conceptualization, representation, and grassroots mobilization around these rights. Prerequisite(s): PLTC 216. Recommended background: PLTC 115. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 282. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) S. Engel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

AS/PT 283. International Politics of East Asia.

This course examines the security, political, economic, and cultural relations of East Asia through a range of theoretical perspectives. The goal is to understand the character, causes, and consequences of international conflict and cooperation in East Asia. Historical and regional comparisons are drawn between the post-World War II and post-cold war periods, and between Northeast and Southeast Asia. The course considers foreign policy implications for the United States and other regional actors. Recommended background: PLTC 171. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) One-time offering. S. Byun.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

EC/PT 284. The Political Economy of Capitalism.

Political economy studies the market and the state as interrelated institutions. This course examines capitalism within its political context from two complementary perspectives. In the first part of the course, students examine the historical evolution of social scientific thinking about the economy, in the process identifying some of the central critiques and defenses of capitalism as a system of social organization. In the second part of the course, students consider political economy topically, addressing a series of policy challenges thrown up by capitalism and considering multiple perspectives on how those challenges should be diagnosed and addressed. Enrollment limited to 30. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) B. Moodie.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

AS/PT 286. Politics of China.

This course introduces students to the politics of China by examining the political, economic, and social dimensions of China’s domestic transformation, and how this transfromation shapes, and is shaped by, foreign relations. The course covers the Maoist era from 1949; the reform era, beginning in 1978; and the global era, since 2008. The primary goal is to understand change and continuity in contemporary China using theories and concepts from comparative and international politics. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) One-time offering. S. Byun.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 290. Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the 1990s the promise of political transformation emerged in Africa, giving cause for both optimism and concern about the continent's political and economic future. While novel democratic experiments are taking hold, authoritarian impulses persist. And, despite some of the highest levels of poverty in the world, Africa as a whole is witnessing economic growth. This course exposes students to the diverse mosaic of political life in Africa and examines factors that shape development and governance since the close of the colonial era. Attention is given to various countries' historical experiences, economic and social structures, and the global context in which they are embedded. Students also explore unfolding patterns of change witnessed at the opening of the twenty-first century and ways that younger and older African generations shape their own political and economic situations. Recommended background: PLTC 115, 122, or 171. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 292. Freedom in an Age of Constraints.

Is freedom a concept, a principle, or a practice? Is capitalism the scene of human domination, human freedom, or both? What is the relationship between one’s social identity and freedom—is it liberating or imprisoning? What is the relationship of political freedom to power, equality, and community? In this course, students consider these kinds of questions by reading classics in Western political theory, including Dostoyevski, Rousseau, and Marx, and by analyzing contemporary writings on feminist and queer politics, Black Lives Matter, contemporary capitalism, and more. Recommended background: PLTC 191. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 292. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) N. Hagel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 295. Reading Marx, Rethinking Marxisms.

Students practice different ways of reading and rethinking the work of Karl Marx. The first part of the course permits unrushed, close reading and discussion of Marx's best-known texts. The second part emphasizes recent efforts by critical theorists to revise the original doctrine without abandoning radical politics. Topics for reading and discussion include various Marxist feminisms, Marxist literary theory, and other Marxist interventions against capitalism. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) W. Corlett.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 296. Contract and Community.

Western political thought frequently explores relationships—including contracts and community—between individuals and the state, but the terms of this discourse are hotly contested. Why do "contracts" so often seem to ignore the unequal power of the parties involved? Must terms like "community" erase the politics of human difference? How do categories such as "individual" and "state" restrict even the politics of privileged men as well as neglect considerations of gender, race, and class? Students read and discuss a variety of texts, including Hobbes, Rousseau, and contemporary theorists. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 297. The Household and Political Theory.

Western political theories often acknowledge, either implicitly or explicitly, the importance of domestic considerations—such as child bearing, sexual relations, and issues of home economics—but rarely appreciate their political significance. And sometimes theorists who acknowledge that the personal is political miss the significance of the so-called racial classification or class position of the domestic situations they study. Drawing from Western and non-Western feminist, socialist, and other sources, this course stresses close reading of theories that highlight the politics of domestic life. Because many of these arguments involve criticism of Western political thought, students also examine how various Western classics (for example, Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, or Hegel) situate domesticity. Recommended background: PLTC 191. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) W. Corlett.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

INDC 301Z. Race and U.S. Women's Movements.

This course focuses on how racial formations develop in women's movements and how gender ideologies take shape through racialization. Some of the movements examined include the woman's suffrage movement, the anti-lynching movement, the civil rights movement, moral reform movements, the welfare rights movement, the women's liberation movement, and the peace movement. Students analyze how the intertwined categories of race and gender shape various women's responses to debates about issues including citizenship, U.S. foreign policy, reproductive rights, and immigration. Students consider current theoretical and methodological debates and examine the topic through the perspectives of women in various ethnic and racial groups. Cross-listed in gender and sexuality studies, history, and politics. Prerequisite(s): one course in gender and sexuality studies. Enrollment limited to 15. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) (Modern. ) (United States.) [W2] M. Plastas.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 308. Violence and State Building in Iraq.

This course examines the relationship between violence and state building in modern Iraq. It analyzes how different forms of violence such as population resettlements, forced disappearances, ethnic massacres, and wars contribute to consolidation of central authority and formation of political opposition. Going beyond the study of conventional forms of violence, students also consider symbolic forms of violence, analyzing how leadership cults, state celebrations, and monuments enforced compliance. In the final three weeks of the course students examine the U.S. occupation of Iraq and discuss its effects on state building, state-society relations, and civil war after regime change. Recommended background: PLTC 122 or 160. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Institutional Politics.) [W2] S. Aslan.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 310. Public Opinion.

An analysis of controversies concerning the formation, nature, and role of public opinion in American politics. The course examines attitudes on selected current issues among persons with a variety of social and economic backgrounds. Students learn the methodology of sample surveys (polls), appropriate statistics, and the use of computers to analyze data. Prerequisite(s): PLTC 115, 211, 215, or 218. Enrollment limited to 15. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) [Q] J. Baughman.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

Oceans cover more than seventy percent of the surface of the Earth and contain both valuable renewable resources such as fish and whales, and nonrenewable resources such as oil and gas. This mixture of resources and increased diversification of ocean uses is a challenge to governance. The mobility of many ocean resources and frequent lack of information increases this challenge. Hence, for the past sixty years, national and subnational governments and international actors have worked together to develop a variety of policies to react to the collapse of fisheries, increased offshore oil and gas drilling, emergence of aquaculture and deterioration of coral reefs. In the future, challenges stemming from global climate change and ocean acidification will only increase these policy efforts. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) [W2] Á. Ásgeirsdóttir.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 315. International Cooperation.

In this course students analyze the dual questions of why nations cooperate and how they cooperate. The course begins with the problems of cooperation in an anarchic world and investigates how nations overcome these problems. In the process, the course examines different analytical perspectives such as realism, liberalism, and regime theory, as well as solutions to cooperative problems proposed by game theory and negotiation analysis. Substantively, the course examines cooperation over trade issues, financial affairs, global commons, and the environment. Recommended background: PLTC 171, 222, and 234. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) [W2] Á. Ásgeirsdóttir, J. Scheideman.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 319. The U.S. Presidency: Development and Problems.

When the framers created the U.S. presidency, they created an executive office without precedent in the modern world. The aim of this course is to uncover their objectives as well as to evaluate how the office and power of the presidency has changed over time. As such, students 1) survey the institutional development and current operations of the executive branch of U.S. federal government; 2) examine the politics of presidential leadership; 3) and consider the impact of the former on the latter. Special attention is given to those areas of cutting-edge research in presidential studies including the managerial capacities of the Executive Office of the President, the scope and limits of unilateral action, and changing relations with Congress, the bureaucracy, and the public. Recommended background: some understanding of the U.S. Congress, or any 200-level U.S. politics course. Enrollment limited to 15. (Institutional Politics.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W2] S. Engel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 320. Immigrants and Their Homelands.

The observation that many migrants actively engage in the social, political, and economic life of both their origin and host countries is the basis for the study of how immigrants engage their homelands. How does simultaneous membership in two countries help migrants shape and pursue their political interests? How and why have states reached out to their émigrés and formalized pathways for them to participate in home-country politics, and with what effect? What is the impact of migrants' homeland connections, economics development, and politics in their home countries? The course emphasizes emigration from Latin America and touches on European and Asian cases. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) [W2] Normally offered every year. Staff.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 326. The Politics of Authenticity.

Is there such a thing as an authentic self? If so, can politics help us realize it? In this writing-attentive course, students discuss what the politics of authenticity is or might be, how it has been conceptualized in American politics and Western political theory, and why it has become an object of widespread suspicion and continuing appeal. Students examine how authenticity has been posited and contested in three different domains: in the history of Western political thought; in feminist, queer, and transgender writings; and in discussions of race. Authors include Rousseau, Freud, Butler, Malcolm X, Yoshino, and Coates. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS 326. Enrollment limited to 15. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W2] N. Hagel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 328. Representation in Theory and Practice.

Are citizens in a representative democracy more like stage directors or probation officers? This course is an analysis of the purpose and limits of political representation. Topics include the role of formal representation in democratic government, the ways citizens hold governments accountable, the responsiveness of political leaders, representation of and by women and minorities, and alternative mechanisms for ensuring accountability. Students consider historical and contemporary sources on the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Prerequisite(s): one of the following: PLTC 115, 122, 211, 230, or 249. Enrollment limited to 15. (Institutional Politics.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W2] J. Baughman.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 329. American Political Development.

American political development (APD) is a distinct branch of American political science, which is not only credited with "bringing history" back into the study of American politics but also is explicitly concerned with how politics is constructed historically. The course is centrally concerned with how political institutions, ideas, and culture shape the actions of political actors and policy outcomes over time. Students assess the growth, development, and change of a range of political institutions and consider how their development affects social policies, including but not limited to welfare and race policy. Prerequisite(s): PLTC 115. Recommended background: PLTC 211, 215, 230. Enrollment limited to 15. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) [W2] S. Engel.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 333. State Formation, State Development, State Collapse.

This course offers an in-depth analysis of the state. It begins with the definitional question and explores different approaches to the state. It then proceeds to historical analysis of the rise of states in Europe and other world regions. The third component of the course explores the relationship between states and societies, focusing on European and other cases. Finally, the course explores the extent of state weakness across the world, and explanations for variation in the strength and stability of states. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Institutional Politics.) [W2] S. Aslan.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 334. Political Economy of Natural Resources.

Natural resources are materials that are present in the environment, including water, hydrocarbons, and metal ores. Some of these resources have been accorded a strategic quality and, as a result, a role in political and economic dynamics in the domestic and international arena. In this course, students consider natural resources from a political and economic perspective and examine their impacts on policy making, conflict, foreign investment, and development. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) [W2] Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 336. Explaining Wartime Violence.

Genocide, torture, civilian killing, mass rape: Why do people do such terrible things to each other? Are these acts senseless, or do they have their own chilling logic? Are they the work of crazed ideologues or ordinary people? Each topic contains more puzzles: Why have democracies developed a particular style of torture? Why are civilians targeted in some wars but not others? Finally, how optimistic should we be? Should we despair, or are there sound reasons to believe that wartime conduct has improved? Can such behavior be prevented, and if so, how? Recommended background: one social science course. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) [W2] W. d'Ambruoso.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 340. Politics and Power in (South) Africa.

Dismantling South African apartheid in the 1990s capped a wave of political transitions to democracy on the continent. Nearly thirty years later, legacies of autocratic rule sit alongside liberal constitutions, new wealth resources threaten poverty as well as democracy, and a new generation — the "born frees" — help to forge civil society activism, challenging Africa’s liberators to transform sedimented structures of class, gender, sexual, and racial inequality. This seminar examines theories of stalled democratization, and explores the continent's positioning in the globalized "new scramble" for Africa. Students consider the question "Is Africa emerging?" as they consider the rise and impact of civil societies and review increasing militarization as Africa looks for ways to respond to terrorism. Recommended background: one course in politics or one course in the Considering Africa General Education concentration (C022). Enrollment limited to 15. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 344. Ethnicity and Conflict.

Every day the news media brings us horrifying accounts of bloody conflict described as the result of ethnic or cultural difference. This course examines different ways to understand and investigate how such conflicts start and how they can be resolved. Are such conflicts more prevalent now than during the cold war era? If so, why? Is cultural difference really the cause of such conflicts, or is difference merely a convenient frame, obscuring more fundamental causes? What makes neighbors turn against each other? Can there be lasting reconciliation? What role should the international community play in such conflicts? Prerequisite(s): any 100-level course in politics. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) [W2] J. Richter.ConcentrationsInterdisciplinary Programs

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 346. Power and Protest.

The role of subordinates in power relations potentially ranges from resigned acceptance of exploitation to active revolution. This course examines the complicated dynamics of power; the focus is a comparative study of subordinate groups in different power relationships and varying cultural contexts. Readings and discussions center on a combination of theoretical studies of power and case materials primarily concerning the "developing world." Students write and revise a major research paper. The goal is to better understand power as a fluid relationship and better comprehend the complex meanings of "resistance," "imagination" and "change." Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W2] A. MacLeod.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT 347. Gender and the State.

Two key questions provide the focus for this course: How does gender define citizenship, politics, and the state? How do states shape and use notions of manhood and womanhood to pursue their goals? Theoretical framings of gender and politics form the basis for reviewing processes through which gender constructions shape governace and policy as well as how state rulers manipulate gender norms in pursuit of development, war, or political control. Using case studies from various national contexts, the course investigates how women diversely identified (re)define their political roles, seek access to state power, and thus pursue visibility and authority within the state. Recommended background: one course in gender and sexuality studies or politics. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Identities and Interests.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 351. Politics of Judicial Power.

This course provides a detailed introduction to the normative and empirical debates surrounding judicial power including the origins of judicial review, the concept of courts as strategic actors, and the development of increasingly stronger courts over time in the United States and abroad (particularly Europe and Southeast Asia). Unlike courses in constitutional law, this course is less concerned with legal doctrine and focuses instead on the court as a political institution that interacts with the legislative and executive powers of the state. Prerequisite(s): PLTC 115, 122, 125, or 171. Recommended background: PLTC 216 or PT/WS 282. Enrollment limited to 15. (Institutional Politics.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) [W2] S. Engel.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 360. Independent Study.

Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 365. Special Topics.

A course or seminar offered from time to time and reserved for a special topic selected by the department. A course satisfies the department's 300-level requirement only if specified in the individual course description. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 371. International Peacekeeping.

Since the end of the cold war international actors, including the United Nations, NATO, and the Organization of African Unity, have taken a more active role in preventing and resolving conflicts within and among sovereign states. The success of such international interventions has been mixed. This course examines the history of international peacekeeping and the reasons for its increased relevance in the post-cold war era. It considers the different forms that peacekeeping, peacebuilding, or peacemaking have taken and the various formal and informal practices associated with such interventions. In the second half of the course, students discuss the definitions of success in evaluating peacekeeping efforts and investigate why some efforts succeed and others fail. Recommend background: PLTC 171. Enrollment limited to 15. (Governance and Conflict.) (Institutional Politics.) [W2] J. Richter.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 377. Experiences in Policy Process.

This course offers an advanced investigation in public policy and the policy process. students apply prominent theories of the policy process to community-driven problems, emphasizing the politics of social policy. They work collaboratively with local organizations and, through research experiences, develop skills in research design, qualitative methodologies, and analysis. Collaborative work, community-based learning, scholarly writing, and oral presentation skills are emphasized. Topics include agenda setting, problem definition, the role of entrepreneurs, advocacy coalitions, policy feedback, and policy analysis. Enrollment limited to 15. (Community-Engaged Learning.) (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) [W2] J. Longaker.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 394. Contemporary Liberalism and Democratic Action.

Twentieth-century Western liberalism has faced new challenges of cultural pluralism: including people previously excluded on the grounds of race, gender, and sexuality; speaking to both sides of the widening gap between rich and poor nations; coming to terms with the rights of indigenous peoples; and reconciling capitalism and democracy. Do contemporary formulations of this diverse and venerable tradition show how to negotiate the contested terrain of twenty-first-century cultural politics? Or is Western liberalism necessarily an apologist for the exclusionary politics of a bygone era? Students read and criticize recent authors who discuss these questions against the backdrop of canonical texts. Prerequisite(s): two courses in politics. Enrollment limited to 15. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) [W2] W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 396. Poverty and Democracy.

This seminar examines new developments in democratic theory against the backdrop of public policies concerned with the stubborn problem of poverty. Beginning with specific issues in poverty studies, such as food security, prison construction, and health care, students gain familiarity with options available to policy makers. Turning to specific issues in democratic theory, such as distributive justice, public deliberation, and self-determination, students consider a variety of arguments concerned with popular rule. Reading and criticizing texts that address both poverty and democracy make the problem of physical survival more visible in contemporary social justice debates concerning sexuality, race, gender, and class. Prerequisite(s): two courses in politics. Enrollment limited to 15. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) (Political Economy.) [W2] W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 457. Senior Thesis.

Discussion of methods of research and writing, oral reports, and regular individual consultation with instructors. Students undertake a one-semester thesis by registering for PLTC 457 in the fall semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both PLTC 457 and 458. Prerequisite(s): one 300-level seminar in politics and Politics s49. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC 458. Senior Thesis.

Discussion of methods of research and writing, oral reports, and regular individual consultation with instructors. Students undertake a one-semester thesis by registering for PLTC 458 in the winter semester. Majors writing an honors thesis register for both PLTC 457 and 458. Prerequisite(s): one 300-level seminar in politics and Politics s49. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT s12. Gender, War, and Peace.

This course uses gender as an analytical tool to examine the history of war and peace. How do war and militarization construct masculinities and femininities? What types of roles have women played in the making of war and in the making of peace? How has gender socialization influenced people's analysis of and participation in war and in peace activism? What are the gender politics of the politics of war and of peacemaking? How is gender deployed in current war zones and in current movements for peace? Recommended background: GSS 100. Not open to students who have received credit for GS/PT 220, or PT/WS 220 or s12. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Governance and Conflict.) (Political Economy.) M. Plastas.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s13. Immigration Reform.

What should immigration reform look like? What are the obstacles to immigration reform? Students explore U.S. immigration from 1965 to the present, including both its intended and unintended consequences. Students analyze the policy preferences, resource, and constraints of key stakeholders in the current immigration debate and practice advancing these diverse perspectives vis-à-vis Congress through role-play and simulation. Based on community research, theoretical readings, and review of the policy proposals that Congress has recently considered, students experience first-hand why so many voices remain "unheard" in Congress as the reform process remains stalled. Not open to students who have received credit for PLTC s15. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 19. (Institutional Politics.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT s14. Gender and Tobacco.

This course explores the sociohistorical complexities of tobacco and the political economies of tobacco production, consumption, and regulation. The course focuses on how gender, race, and class influence tobacco industry policies, tobacco control procedures, the health and economic impact of tobacco on communities, and the strategies of grassroots and transnational activists in tobacco regulation movements. Recommended background: course work in gender and sexuality studies. Not open to students who have received credit for GSS 335, PT/WS s14, or WGST 335. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. M. Plastas.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

INDC s20. Politics of Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Brazil.

Forever the country of the future, but never forgetful of the past, Brazil pushes forward through turbulent political times that threaten hard-won progressive change. From Zumbí dos Palmares to Lei Afonso Arinos and Lei Maria da Penha to PL João W. Nery, Brazil boasts a rich tradition of engaging social justice through non-institutional and institutional avenues. This course analyzes the relationship between protest and policy through an investigation of race, gender, and sexuality movements and institutional responses to advocacy. Despite the saying that Brazil is not for amateurs, by the end of this course students gain a deeper understanding of Brazilian politics, identity, and institutions, and even um pouquinho de português. Cross-listed in gender and sexuality studies, Latin American studies, and politics. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) J. Longaker.Interdisciplinary Programs

PLTC s21. Practicing Postconsumption.

Do new recycling habits make people more aware of wasteful behavior? Does gaining a better sense of postconsumption inspire people to buy fewer commodities? Or, could new and improved waste management possibly encourage overconsumption by minimizing the problem of removing the excess? To address questions such as these, students work through Deleuze and Guattari's provocative Thousand Plateaus while examining texts that seek to integrate postconsumption and the design of products, buildings, and neighborhoods. Final projects include developing new recipes, redesigning commodities, remixing campus initiatives, and rethinking neighborhood collaboration on waste management. Enrollment limited to 29. (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) W. Corlett.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

EU/PT s22. Politics of Memory in Central and Eastern Europe.

The twentieth century cast a long shadow over Eastern and Central Europe: two world wars, several mass expulsions and deportations, the imposition of Soviet-style dictatorships, and, most tragically, the Holocaust. Each country has its share of victims, villains, heroes, cowards, and collaborators. Efforts to make sense of this history, even after all these years, remain a topic of intense political debate. This course examines historical writings, films, museums, and monuments to examine the politics of memory in East and Central Europe. Why does historical memory of these events continue to have such emotional and political power in this region? What choices are made in memorializing history, and what are their contemporary political implications? Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 29. (Identities and Interests.) (Philosophical, Literary, and Legal Studies.) J. Richter.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s23. Simulating the Legislative Process.

Students engage in a simulation of the federal legislative process by playing the roles of interest groups and officeholders in writing a major law. They explore the goals, strategies, and constraints of political actors in making policy. At the same time, attention is paid to the policy process generally and how in particular cases the process can be altered or subverted to suit the interests of actors. Parallels are drawn with real-world instances of contemporary congressional lawmaking. Recommended background: PLTC 115 and 230. Enrollment limited to 24. (Institutional Politics.) J. Baughman.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s26. Mass Media and Politics.

This course examines how the media and the politicians they cover attempt to control one another. Students consider the factors that affect the ability of the press to uphold its mandate to keep the citizenry informed, including market forces, psychological and ideological factors, institutional constraints, and direct government interference. Students engage in simulated news production to confront and understand the dynamics of the news cycle. Enrollment limited to 26. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT s27. Feminisms of the 1970s and 1980s.

This course explores the rise of multiple feminist theories and forms of activism during the 1970s and 1980s. Students critically examine the genealogy of the conceptualization of "second-wave feminism," and explore the role of gay, Chicano, and black liberation, civil rights, and labor struggles on the development of feminist thinking and action. The course pays particular attention to how feminists of this period addressed questions of U.S. foreign policy in Vietnam, Central America, and South Africa; the nuclear arms race; and U.S. domestic race relations. Students read from primary source material and study the literature produced by Marxist feminisms, black feminisms, lesbian feminisms, liberal feminisms, and radical feminisms. Recommended background: GSS 100. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS s27. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. (Identities and Interests.) (Institutional Politics.) M. Plastas.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s28. Political Economy of Multinational Corporations.

The significance of multinational corporations in the international economic system has grown in recent years, as they have come to be regarded as formidable political actors in the international system. International policymakers view them as engines for the achievement of economic development and also as agents to press for both positive and negative changes in domestic policy wherever they operate. Drawing on readings from political science, economics, management, and law, this course examines firms and the motivations for their behavior, especially regarding their involvement in international politics. Enrollment limited to 29. (Institutional Politics.) (Political Economy.) Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

GS/PT s32. Global Flows: Work, Sex, and Care.

Globalization refers to processes underlying profound changes in contemporary life from the corporate boardroom to the family bedroom. What do women, sex and sexuality have to do with the global political economy? How does gender—the social organization of sexual difference—shape the future "world without borders"? In what ways might global restructuring depend on women and gender relations? This course examines how gendered divisions of labor, power, and decision making shape flows of money, jobs, goods, technology, and people across borders. Students examine interdisplinary perspectives from political economy, gender and sexuality studies, and film studies to consider gender as a critical dimension of global processes of change and transformation in international flows, connections, production, and consumption. Not open to students who have received credit for PT/WS s32. Enrollment limited to 19. (Identities and Interests.) L. Hill.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s49. Political Inquiry: Elements of Research Design.

Students are introduced to many of the approaches used to study politics. By reading and discussing texts from a variety of perspectives, students learn to identify and evaluate crucial research decisions. These include how to formulate a precise and answerable research question, relate it to the work of other scholars, construct an argument to answer the question, assess evidence pertaining to the argument, and present the findings in a manner of interest to other scholars. Prerequisite(s): two courses in politics. Enrollment limited to 75. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations

PLTC s50. Independent Study.

Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations

This course is referenced by the following General Education Concentrations